102 comments/ 63522 views/ 31 favorites Revenge or Justice By: CharlieB4 Hi All, This is a different story to most of mine so far. I have flirted with the BTB genre before however it's not something I'm always comfortable with. Anyway I hope you give it a go. A big thanks to my Hawaiian friend John for his tireless work making some sense of my mangled grammar and spelling. Aloha big guy. Cheers CharlieB4 ***** The rain tumbled down as the dark grey clouds above unloaded their burden on the cathedral. Tom sat in the car waiting, his wife and their two children sat quietly beside him. He checked his watch for the tenth time in the last five minutes. He stared out the tinted window again at the crowd milling around the front entrance. It was taking longer to clear than normal as people shook and folded their umbrellas before entering. His father's funeral wasn't due to start for another ten minutes so there was still plenty of time. Maybe the television cameras would be gone by then he hoped. It was hard to see why they were even there. Byron Cameron had been a very successful business man but his death from cancer at age seventy one was hardly newsworthy. While he gave lots of money to charities and other good causes he always did it with the stipulation he remained anonymous. Maybe it warranted twenty seconds on the local channel but why was one of the networks there? A little voice inside Tom's head was telling him a reason for it to be there. He tried his best to ignore it, surely she wouldn't make a scene today. "Tom? There's only five minutes till it starts. I think we should go in now." Heather said touching his arm lightly. He turned and looked at his wife smiling cautiously at him. "Yes, we best get it over with. The rain has slowed down now anyway." Tom opened the door and got out, after adjusting his heavy coat he opened an umbrella and held it while Heather, James and Marita got out. They made their way to the two large doors, the crowd of latecomers and sticky beaks parting like the Red Sea before them. Tom recognized a few faces and gave small nods to acknowledge their mumbled words of condolence. The funeral director greeted them and ushered them to the front pew. Tom's sister, Kate, was already seated with her husband and daughter. She stood up and they embraced before sitting down beside each other. Heather sat on the other side with the children. Tom looked up and studied the timber coffin covered in the flag and wreaths of flowers. The tears begin to swell in his eyes as the finality of it all became apparent. One week ago he had sat by his father's bedside holding his cool withered hand as he slipped away, but today was the last goodbye. Heather took his hand and squeezed it, offering her support. She was the angel that had caught him all several years ago when his life was in free fall. Once again she was his rock, propping him up as the waves of life crashed into him. The priest came out and after a quick inspection gave the nod down the aisle to the funeral director that everything was ready. Just then a murmur went around the congregation and some hushed voices expressed surprise. Heads turned as a commotion could be heard coming from the entrance doors. A shrill female voice floated out above the others and my worst fears were realized. "... But they're his grandsons. They should be up in the front!" Tom turned around to see a stylishly dressed woman, Melanie, his first wife, arguing with the funeral director as he tried to usher her to a seat. Two young men in smart suits stood behind her with smirks on their faces as the funeral director tried to quietly defuse the situation. Heather leaned close to me and whispered in my ear. "I'll go up the back and she can sit here." "No!" Tom hissed fiercely, "I don't want to give her the satisfaction." Tom stood and strode back down the aisle, many heads turned and eyes followed him as he made his way towards the trouble. Melanie was looking the other way but the two men on the other side of her could see Tom coming and their grins vanished. Grabbing Melanie's elbow tightly Tom whispered in her ear, "not today Melanie, for god's sake! Just sit down and shut up, you're not the fucking star today." He expected an angry rebuke, instead she turned around and gave her "butter wouldn't melt in my mouth" smile. "Tom darling," she may have been smiling but her voice dripped venom. "So sorry we're late but somebody neglect to tell us what time the service was. In fact I didn't even know he was dead until yesterday." Tom could feel the eyes of everybody on him, drilling into his back as he fought to maintain control. "Could you please sit down Melanie, the service is about to start." "Well, seeing you asked so nicely." She moved to follow the usher's directions but stopped and after a dramatic pause hit him below the belt. "Aren't you going to say hello to your sons?" A couple of people gasped close by, Tom turned and walked away, his face and neck flushed red with rage and embarrassment. As he sat down in the front pew again Heather gave his hand another squeeze. The music started and everybody stood as two altar servers, the bishop and two other priests walked to the altar. After the initial formalities Kate got up to deliver the first part of the eulogy. She outlined his early life; while Tom's father was a self-made man he did have a privileged upbringing. His father, Tom's grandfather, had made money in shipping, shipping booze into the US during prohibition. Unlike some of his contemporaries the old man made the transition to a more legitimate business after prohibition ended without problems so Tom's dad went to the best schools and university. He worked with his father for a few years before he left to set out on his own. He moved into stockbroking much to his father's disgust. Tom's grandfather had gone into shipbuilding during the war and regarded stockbrokers and bankers as parasites on the economy. Tom's father had always said he would rather spend his time making money and left building things to others. As Kate spoke Tom thought about how his father's relationship with his grandfather mirrored his own with his dad. Upon leaving university Tom had joined the family business but soon became disillusioned with the soulless pursuit of money. Unlike his grandfather Tom's passion hadn't been building ships or buildings, rather he wanted to grow things. As a child at the family country estate he would spend hours in the garden. The end of Tom's first marriage had been the catalyst for change. His father's anger was tempered somewhat by the fact Kate had joined the firm and was showing more flair for the business than Tom ever would. With the advantage of the family money Tom bought a vineyard in the Napa Valley. Five years later with a degree in wine science and viticulture and sparkling new winery on site he rode the wine boom. Swiftly building a reputation for premium quality wine, Tom became highly influential in the expansion of the U.S. wine market. The end of Tom's estrangement from his father occurred six years ago. Out of the blue Byron turned up in Napa on a summer afternoon. It was awkward for both of them but they sat down together. Brian told Tom he'd been diagnosed with cancer. Tom thought that was the reason for the visit, however Byron had a request for Tom. "Tom, now I've got an end date on my life it's been making me think about my legacy." "Can't you buy that too?" Tom snapped and immediately regretted it when he saw the hurt on his father's face. "Alright, I asked for that." Byron reached into his coat pocket and bought out a folded piece of paper. "I read about this last year and it's something I'm interested in and it's ... it's something that maybe we could do together." Tom was astounded. He took the paper from his father and scanned through it. "You want us to make whisky together?" "Yes, I'm stepping aside and Kate's taking over the firm. I'll supply the financing but you get a fifty percent stake in the project." Byron's eyes were bright with excitement. "Hang on Dad, I make wine. I know nothing about whiskey, I rarely even drink the stuff." Byron paused and studied his son's face. "Tom, I know I haven't been the best father, but I've followed your progress here and I couldn't be more proud of you and what you have achieved. I know you can do this." He rubbed his hand over his face hiding the tears in his eyes. "It won't make up for the years we lost but I'd love to be a bigger part of your family's life in the time I have left." Tom remembered the conflicting emotions and turmoil he felt at that moment. He'd sat in his chair holding the paper as his father drove away. Heather had come out of the cellar door and she'd stood behind him with her hands upon his shoulders and watched the car disappear into the distance. Ironically Tom was awakened from his daydream by Heather's hand on his leg, "your turn." He looked up to see Kate walking back from the pulpit, her speech over. Standing up he gave Kate a hug as he went past her then walked up for his turn to deliver his part of the eulogy. Kate had covered most of the aspects of their father's life. It was left to Tom to tell of the personal journey he and his father had taken in the past six years. He briefly touched on their difficulties before describing the joy of rediscovering a relationship with his father. The eulogy ended when he spoke of his father's pride when just six months before they had stood on the podium at World Whisky awards in London and received a double gold medal for the four year aged single malt whisky. No small achievement especially considering they had decided to base their operations in one of the new world outposts for whisky making: Tasmania, Australia. The tears were flowing down his face when as he walked back he placed a bottle of their Cameron Distillery whisky on the coffin. It was a special release of the latest single malt to be bottled, the Byron range. The rest of the service was a blur of songs and readings, it was a blessed relief when the pallbearers picked up the casket and started carrying it out of the church. Kate and Tom followed with partners and children. As he walked past the row of seats where Melanie sat he saw her dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Outside Tom wanted to jump straight into the car with his family and head to the airport to get back to Australia. However he knew what was expected so they stayed and accepted the handshakes and embraces of family and friends. The local media had left but the network OB van was still parked across the road. This puzzled Tom until he saw the back door open and a cameraman and sound technician jump out and hurry across the road. They scurried past the crowd that had formed around the family and pointed the camera towards the doors. On cue a grieving Melanie came into view being supported by her sons. Tom watched the performance with disgust, his displeasure etched on his face, until Heather gripped his arm and alerted him to the fact the camera was now pointed at him. He became even more annoyed now at the invasion of this solemn occasion. That was it for Tom. He hustled his wife and children into the car and made his way to the wake. This was a closed affair so he felt safer, he mingled with uncles and cousins and actually found he was enjoying himself, until across the crowded room he saw Melanie in heated conversation with his sister. By the time Tom made it through the throng to the other side Melanie was gone. "What was that about?" He quizzed Kate. "She wanted to know when we were reading Dad's will." "What's it got to do with her?" "Don't worry, I told her she wouldn't be required to attend." "Is that why she was angry?" "Yes, I think so but ... she almost seemed pleased that she wasn't included." She was up to something Tom was sure of it. He didn't know what but he was guessed they would find out soon enough. The reading of the will was in fact the next day. It was a formality, really, as Byron had already split his assets between his two children. There were some special bequests to some long-serving staff and also to several charities but that was it. As they were back in the U.S. Heather wanted to spend some time with her family, so they travelled to California. The next week they were packing to go back to Tasmania when Tom's phone jangled in his pocket. It was Kate. "We have a problem." "Melanie?" He guessed. "Yes, we put the advertisement in the paper asking for any creditors to contact the lawyers if they had an outstanding claim against Dad and it came the next day." She explained. "Why did you do that?" "It's a legal requirement before you can finalize an estate. Anyway, we received a notice of intention to challenge the will from Melanie's lawyers on behalf of her sons." "The bitch," Tom muttered. "Well they are Dad's grandsons." "It was part of the divorce settlement. No further contact, correspondence or cash." He argued. "That applies to Melanie not to your sons." The word "your" caused Tom to gag. "Are you okay?" Kate asked. "Yes, so what's next?" "They wanted a meeting so it's organized for next Tuesday in our offices at 2 p.m. Judges like the parties to have tried to negotiate before it gets to court. Can you be here?" Tom was silent as he thought about it. Heather would like to stay longer so a few more days wouldn't hurt. "Yes, I'll be there. What's the meeting for?" "They will be hoping for a settlement, can you can be here on Monday? We can discuss a figure..." "Bugger that," Tom butted in using the Australian vernacular to display my displeasure. "We won't give them anything." Kate and Tom spoke for another five minutes as she tried to convince him to compromise. In the end they left the discussion till the next Monday. Once he was off the phone Tom told delighted Heather that they would be spending another week stateside. She wasn't as keen when she found out Tom would be back in New York next week. He explained the situation and Heather came down on Kate's side saying they should just give Melanie some money to go away. Trying to put it out of his mind, he stayed in California with Heather and the children. That was mostly successful until Friday night, when Kate rang again. "Are you near a television?" She asked. "Yes why?" Tom replied. "Turn it on to channel six, there's a current affairs show on that will interest you." Tom flicked it on and it was just coming back from a commercial break. The presenter was introducing a story, behind her was a large blown up picture of a weeping Melanie at the door of the church. "Tonight our special story is about one of our own. NBC television personality and talk show presenter Melanie Shriver has a happy smile and a quick laugh but behind that mask there is a gaping wound that haunts her to this day." It continued on for another twenty minutes, as hatchet jobs go this was the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It was a typical tabloid type story of the evil husband with Tom painted as the lecherous fiend who abandoned his wife and two sons. Melanie was the virtuous dutiful wife forced to continue her career to support her two sons. Finally it had become too much for her to bear as her neglected sons where disinherited by their wealthy grandfather. Tom had to begrudgingly admire the way it was put together. At the start it was all sweetness and light with bright pictures of the glamorous couple. Tom, the young stockbroker from a wealthy family and Melanie, the gorgeous television weather girl. Following that, more pictures of a young couple playing with their children. Then the tear filled interviews with Melanie and her sons explain the callous treatment at the hands of their former husband and father. Finally to top it off, the funeral pictures of a grief stricken Melanie being helped down the stairs, followed by a cut away to a close up of my angry face. The last word was left to the presenter who let the audience know that Melanie was going for fight for her son's birthright in the courts and everybody at the network wished her well. Tom was sitting down by the end and as it the show went to a commercial break he had to consciously unclench his jaw because his teeth were aching. Heather sat on an armchair close by, she was just staring at the screen. Tom turned off the television and slumped back with a growl. "That's a little different to your version of events." Heather said, the raised eyebrows encouraging an explanation. "It was fantasy held together with half-truths and outright lies." "Did you just walk out one day and never come back?" "Yes ... but I made sure they were provided for." Tom stammered. "And when are you going to walk out on me?" "Come on Heather, that's ridiculous." "Why is it ridiculous?" Heather was on her feet. "They aren't even your children," she shouted pointing towards the room in which James and Marita were sleeping. He dropped his head and ran his fingers through his hair before looking up into Heather's eyes again. "Please sit down", he said. She remained on her feet. "Please." "I'm going to tell you something that until just over a week ago only two people on this earth knew and today only one does." Tom took a deep breath and blew it out before continuing. "I'm not the father of Melanie's two children." "What? Why am I only hearing this now?" "Because being a cuckold for five years is not something I'm proud of." Tom said with a sigh. "So you knew she was sleeping with somebody else?" "No, I didn't find out until one week before I left." Tom could see from Heather's face that she was still skeptical. "Alright I'll explain. Melanie's second son, Tom Jr., was six months old. She was going back to work as the weather girl for the morning show on NBC. For the two previous months she had been working out like crazy to get back in shape before she went in front of the cameras again. The night before her first morning back she told me in no uncertain terms that Tom Jr. was the last child she was going to have and I was to organize a vasectomy as soon as possible. I thought she was joking but she told me there would be no sex until I was neutered. She was worried that another maternity leave could mean the end of her television career. "I was reluctant because I was still young, but thinking our marriage was going to last a lifetime I made an appointment the next week. Dr. Nelson was surprised at my request as well but after a few questions he saw I was committed. I filled out the forms and he fitted me into his schedule at a nearby day surgery for the following Friday. On the way out the door he handed me a specimen jar and directed me to a room beside the toilets. He needed a sample of my sperm for testing so they could compare with another sample taken after. "I did what he requested then went home to inform Melanie of what I'd organized. She was ecstatic, promising some fireworks in the bedroom when I was declared safe. The next Friday with some apprehension I was getting into the surgical gown at the day surgery when Dr. Nelson came into the room. He told me something had come up and he couldn't do the surgery today. He told me he had to talk to me again and requested I come to his surgery on Saturday morning. "With even more apprehension I went to see the doctor the next morning. I had to call him to let me in as there was no receptionist. Once in his office I sat down and I could tell by the doctor's nervous disposition it wasn't going to be good news. He told me there was no point performing the vasectomy because I was already sterile. I was astonished, arguing I had two children, but he showed me the results from the examination of my sperm. It wasn't that the sperm count was low or that they were deformed. There just were no sperm. Revenge or Justice "He asked if I'd had any mishaps since my wife became pregnant the second time. I couldn't think of any and he assured me it would have taken major trauma to stop my testes from working. I insisted it was a mistake and to placate me he told me to come back on Monday and leave another sample. Melanie was away for the weekend and next week. The morning show was being broadcast from Hawaii the next week so all the presenters had flown out that afternoon. "I was on edge all week, I found myself looking at the boys. Trying to find some similarities, something I could own, something I could say that's me, they're mine. I gave another sample on Monday and on Friday I went back to get the results. There was no mistake. I was sterile. The boys couldn't be mine. "Melanie flew in that afternoon and I took off. It took three days for dad to find me, drunk in a dirty room of a seedy hotel. I told him what had happened, Melanie and I got divorced. I hoped that would be the end of the story." "Didn't you want to punish her? You paid for the boys to go to private schools, why the fuck would you do that? Why didn't you paint a scarlet letter on her forehead and march her through Central Park in June?" "Oh I wanted to, I wanted to do that and so much more... but I didn't want to be known as a eunuch whose wife had been sleeping with other people. I was twenty seven, I didn't want to be a laughing stock." Tom's head dropped again and Heather went to sit next to him. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" She asked quietly, her hand on Tom's shoulder. "It was just too complicated. It was easier to just say I was divorced and I'd had a vasectomy." "Well it's all come back to haunt you now. Melanie must have been really sore with you." "Now, yes. At the time, not really. Don't believe the sob story you just saw, I think she was relieved when we divorced. She certainly never tried to talk me out of it. Her only interest was how much she was going to get." Heather sighed, "So what are you going to do? Are you brave enough to tell the world you're sterile now?" Her comment was meant as a joke but there was a sting in it all the same. "Yes, I won't hide away this time. I'm looking forward to it if you must know." "Do you want me to come to for moral support?" "No, you stay with your family. Who knows when we will get a chance to get back here next?" Tom felt miserable and looked like it.] "Come on sad sack, let's go to bed. It looks like you could do with some cheering up." The next day they went back over to Heather parents' house to let them know their plans had changed. Tom could see as soon as we they arrived that his parents had seen the television show too. Once the children were outside in the pool he explained that the story was bogus. Tom didn't go into details but Heather backed him up so the tension disappeared. On the airplane back to New York on Sunday night Tom mulled over what he was going to do. It would all be over quickly once he explained the children weren't his. He guessed he would have to get conclusive proof. Hopefully Dr. Nelson was still around so they could get his earlier medical records. He was met at the airport by Kate's chauffeur as she was out at a political fundraiser. Stretching out in the back of the limo on the way to Kate's Central Park apartment Tom wondered if maybe he should have stayed in the family business. Then they hit the traffic and he realized he'd done the right thing, Kate was better at it than he was anyway and the dividend he got every quarter kept him comfortable. Tom greeted Kate the next morning at the breakfast table. She was dressed for work, sipping coffee and flicking through the newspaper. He was about to tell her his little secret but she stopped him. "House rules Tom, no work at home, save it for the office." "Sounds good to me," Tom replied happy to hold it till later. Kate let him know she had a couple of other appointments to attend to before he came and the lawyer wouldn't be there until eleven, so she would send the car to pick him up at ten-fifteen. With a kiss on the cheek she was gone, walking out with her husband to work. After getting something to eat Tom got online and searched for Dr. Nelson's whereabouts. He'd gone up in the world and was now an associate professor splitting his time between teaching and working at the university hospital. In a short e-mail Tom enquired how he could get his previous medical records. When Tom arrived at Kate's office the lawyer was already there talking to her. He was ushered in by a secretary and introduced the lawyer, Jeremy, and sat down. It appeared Jeremy and Kate had already worked out a strategy and they set about convincing Tom. "Tom, Kate has bought me up to date with the situation and we have worked out a strategy which we think will limit the damage." Jeremy started. He continued to prattle on about not wanting this to go to court and needing to keep this in house with Kate interjecting occasionally to back up some crucial point. Tom just sat back and let Kate and Jeremy talk themselves out before they finally asked him what he thought. "I think we don't give them a cent." I said flatly, Jeremy rolled his eyes and looked at Kate. "Haven't you been listening?" Kate was clearly irritated. "Yes, and you made very valid arguments but I know something you don't so I'm saying they don't get a cent." "Alright big shot," Kate sounded exasperated, "what is your pearl of wisdom?" "I'm not the boy's biological father." "What?" Kate's voice went up an octave. "I found out I was sterile while I was organizing a vasectomy." "So that's why you left her!" The penny dropped for Kate. He nodded and Jeremy still looked confused. Kate filled him in. "He just walked out one day and never went back." "Get him a copy of that current affairs story from Sunday, it labors that point to death." Tom laid the sarcasm on thick. "Have you got any proof from the time?" Jeremy asked always the lawyer. "I've tried to contact the urologist I went to see for the vasectomy. I'm hoping I can get a copy of my medical file." "Sounds like an open and shut case then. Obviously, ahh ..." Jeremy checked his notes, "Melanie doesn't know about your medical condition?" "No, I've never discussed it with her." "Well, I think I've heard enough. Unfortunately my firm won't be making much out of this but you, no doubt, will be happy with that." Jeremy stood and shook Tom's hand then Kate's and left. Once he'd left Kate turned on Tom, "Did Dad know? "Yes, he helped me with the divorce." "Hmm, that explains a lot. I never could understand why he didn't try harder with Melanie and the boys, I thought they were his only grandsons..." I mean, you know, blood grandsons because James..." Kate didn't finish the sentence even though it was perfectly true. It was one of the reasons he didn't want people to know. He didn't want to be treated with kid gloves all the time, having friends and others walking on eggshells around him. "It's okay Kate, I know what you mean. Will I see you tonight?" "Yes, Brian and I will both be home for dinner." Tom left and went for a walk around before getting the limo back to Kate's apartment. Later that night as they sat around having a drink before dinner Kate turned on the television. Switching through the channels she stopped on a panel show. Five women sat around a desk discussing current events and how horrible men are. They were introducing the day's special guest, Melanie. She walked out all smiles waving to the applauding audience. "Do you mind if we listen? It will be funny knowing what we know now." Kate asked mischievously. Tom smiled and nodded, truth was he was interested too. It was a re-run of the previous show except with a live studio audience. When she explained how she soldiered on working for the children's sake the audience stood and applauded. Tom was about to ask Kate to turn it off when one of the panel asked an interesting question. "Is it true you have a book coming out next month?" "It's supposed to be a secret girl!" Melanie said laughing, it was obviously scripted. So that was the other reason for all of this, publicity for her book. It explained the timing of most things. His dad's death was probably just a lucky coincidence for her. Tom was sure she would have found some other legal device to get the media interested if his father hadn't died. Her segment finished when they asked about the release date for the book, in another coincidence it was the day after their court date in two weeks. "Oh my god, she is going to die when you tell her tomorrow. Bye bye book!" Kate let out a malicious laugh. Tom didn't laugh, but his thoughts were just as malicious, give them enough rope and they hang themselves. In bed later that night he was still thinking about it, wondering how far Melanie's pre-book publicity bandwagon would go. Right now having to recant her claims would hurt, but it wouldn't be fatal. Maybe if she dug a deeper hole she would hurt herself as much as she hurt him. He was still going through some options in his head on the way to the meeting the next day. Jeremy was once again already in Kate's office when I arrived. Tom didn't mind because he had a question for him before Melanie got there. "Jeremy, do we have to tell Melanie that I'm not the father of her children yet?" To say that Jeremy looked perplexed by the question would be an understatement so Tom explained further. "I mean, isn't there some discovery thing where you have to share stuff with the opposition?" "Um, yes there is a discovery period but that occurs after your first court date, or arraignment, where the case is mentioned, and the actual trial." "So we are not in the discovery stage yet?" "No, not yet, but why wouldn't you finish this now? If your urologist backs up your story then it's a slam dunk." Kate handed Jeremy a file, "this came in this morning from Dr. Nelson's office." He flicked through it then held it up. "This is your ticket to never hearing from this women again." Kate interjected again, "I think my brother is after some revenge." "Revenge or Justice?" Tom replied, a malicious grin on his face. "I don't get it." Jeremy replied, "You can get both today." "I want more! Melanie has a book coming out just after the court hearing. She has been on television twice in the past five days building publicity for it. I think she will be doing a lot more in the next two weeks." "Isn't that what you would want to avoid?" Jeremy's exasperation was showing. "Normally yes, at all costs but this time, I want it. I want everybody in this country to have heard her sob story. I want everybody to be checking the papers to see when the first court date is. Hell, I want all the television stations to have their cameras in the courtroom so that when she is shown up as the cheating bitch she is, everybody watches her eat her shitty words!" By the time Tom had finished his rant he was standing up and his face was flushed bright red. Jeremy and Kate sat back stunned at Tom's outburst. He looked at their surprised faces and sat down self-consciously trying to pick some invisible lint of his trouser leg. Jeremy was the first to break the silence. "Obviously you feel strongly about this," he said with a laugh to diffuse the tension. "How would you like us to proceed?" "What exactly is the point of this meeting?" Tom asked Jeremy. "To start the negotiation process, they will make a ridiculous claim and we will reject it and make a counter offer. It gives both sides a starting point, however we have this," Jeremy held up the file again. "We can finish this today." "They wouldn't believe it," Tom countered. "Of course they won't, they will want more proof than this file but it will put them under pressure. They will be walking in here supremely confident to the validity of their claim, this file means they're standing on quicksand and they have to change strategy." Tom thought about it for a moment before he spoke again. "Is it okay if I take the lead with them today?" Jeremy looked at Kate, she nodded her head slightly so Jeremy agreed. They went into the meeting room and took their place on one side of the table. Tom sat with Kate on his left and Jeremy on his right. A secretary came in with coffee and let them know that Melanie and two lawyers had entered the lobby and they were on their way up. As Melanie and her lawyers were shown through the door Tom and the others stood up and exchanged greetings. Jeremy obviously knew the other lawyers and made the introductions, Melanie needed no introduction. Tom was struck by how little she had changed. It was like her face had been frozen in time. There were the telltale signs of this unnatural quest, though her face had no wrinkles or blemishes, her neck and the backs of her hands showed she wasn't twenty-five anymore. Also when she smiled it was only her mouth that moved, her forehead and eyes were frozen. No doubt, as with many people in the media and increasingly in everyday life, she was Botox enhanced. Her breasts still sat high on her chest and they seemed to have grown. Below them a thin waist then curvy hips that were always her weak spot. The pictures of our last family holiday that had been splashed on the television only told a fraction of the story of the ten days. They were taken on the first day, on the second day Melanie checked into a private hospital for liposuction and a tummy tuck to rid herself of the extra kilos after her second pregnancy. Tom and the boys had swum, snorkeled, rode jet skis and gone to theme parks for the rest of the time. Melanie joined them for lunch on the last day before they flew back home. Tom watched as Melanie sat down, he felt a smirk breech his lips as he thought of a comment made by a guest after a whisky tasting at the distillery. It was just after Joan Rivers' death and the guest had wondered aloud whether she would be buried, cremated or recycled? Looking at Melanie's various enhancements Tom wondered if perhaps she would face the same choice someday. After everybody was seated and an offer of coffee was refused by the guests, Tom set things in motion by asking what it was they wanted. One of Melanie's lawyers produced a sheaf of papers from his briefcase and passed three copies over to Tom, Kate and Jeremy. Tom flicked through them as the Melanie's other lawyer outlined why their proposal was fair and reasonable. Fair and reasonable was not the thoughts that came to Tom's mind as he read the document before him. It boiled down to thirty percent of his father's estate including the stockbroking firm and all real estate. In a clear sign of how far they were overreaching they had included Tom's vineyard and winery even though they were both in his name. Once her guy had finished droning on he asked if they needed more time to read and confer. Tom paused before replying, letting the silence raise the tension. "No, I think you have explained your proposal fully." He paused again before quickly flicking back through the pages as if he was re-reading them. "Are you sure you don't want some coffee?" He asked looking up from the notes in front of him. They declined again so Tom organized the documents again and pushed them back across the table. "I'm really sorry you didn't let us get you a coffee because that is the only thing you are ever going to walk out of this office with. This woman got the last dollar she was going to get from this family when we signed the divorce papers." "What a waste of time," Melanie exploded. "I couldn't agree more," Tom goaded her, sitting back in his chair with a grin on his face. "You won't be laughing after I drag you and your family's name through the mud. Last Sunday was just a warm up, by the time the first court date comes around you will rank somewhere between OJ Simpson and Charles Manson on America's most hated." One of Melanie's lawyers was restraining her while the other helped usher her out the door. They were successful in getting her out the door but her mouth kept going. "Fuck you Tom, fuck your family, and fuck the lot of you! The next time I'm here I'll own your asses." Tom kept smiling, and inside he was singing. He'd poked a hornet's nest and got exactly the response he wanted. "Well that was exciting," Kate's irony expressing her distaste. "I enjoyed it immensely," Tom replied still grinning like cat that got the cream. "Enjoy is not a word I'd use," Jeremy said quietly. "So what's next?" "Sit back and relax, I'm heading back to Australia. Jeremy, if you could follow up with Dr. Nelson and get a deposition then I think we will have everything we need." Tom pushed his chair back in preparation to leave when Kate put her hand on his arm. "This is going to get ugly Tom, don't underestimate the power she has." "I know Kate, I'm a big boy, and I can handle it." "It's not you I'm worried about." Tom stopped for the first time and thought about what affect this could have on Kate. "Sorry Kate." "As long as you know what you're doing." Tom left and went straight to the airport to fly back to Heather and the children in California. He was looking forward to being back with them but the look on Heather's face in the arrival lounge ended his bravado. She allowed him a peck on the cheek then she turned and went straight to the car. Once inside the car she let him have it with both barrels. She wanted to know, quite reasonably, why he hadn't finished this. Tom didn't know how she found out until Heather explained that Melanie was on television again. Remarkably she must have gone straight from Kate's offices to the studio. Tom explained his reasons and Heather was placated but not one hundred percent happy with his reason. To her it seemed childish to want revenge. It would only end up with more sorrow. As long as he didn't feel that way himself, then Tom was all right with it. Back in Australia, Tom busied himself working on blends for their latest release of whisky. It was the part of the job he likes best. Samples were tasted from the three-year-old barrels and he noted the individual characteristics of each. Then the fun began, mixing small amounts of different barrels in different ratios searching for the right combination. Often he would forget what time it was as he became immersed in the search for perfection. More than once Heather had come to the distillery worried why he still wasn't home at nine pm. It was blessing to be so busy because even though he was half a world away from his troubles in the U.S. the global nature of the media meant it was still on his doorstep. The first week Kate kept him up-to-date with Melanie, the publicity trail of Melanie, the human billboard. She was flying across America doing newspaper, radio, television and magazine interviews. A friend of Kate who was big in the publishing world told her the buzz she was creating was fueling pre-orders for her book. The initial print run had been set at twenty thousand but now it was ten times that. An equally large number were signed up to receive an e-version at one minute past midnight on the night after the hearing. The second week the inevitable happened. A local media organization realized there was a juicy global story on their doorstep. The request came for an interview, which Tom declined. Then a couple days later he was summoned from the depths of the cellar to the tasting room. His employee told him a news crew was there to do a story on the distillery. However when the questions became personal he had them removed from the building. The result, on television the following night pictures of him ordering the removal of the news crew by two burly cellar hands and his refusal to answer questions were broadcast in both countries. Revenge or Justice It sparked a ripple of interest in the reclusive American from locals. Tom had always been regarded as eccentric, when he'd bought the farms and started building his distillery many had thought him mad. Once they were up and running, the employment and the tourism traffic created meant he was tolerated. Now there was a whiff of scandal, he noticed the second glances. Heather noticed them too and she wasn't impressed. Her children had taken some time to settle into the small local school when they'd moved and now the media circus was stirring up unwanted attention. To placate her they all went back to California a few days before the court hearing. They were amongst friends in the Napa valley so it was a good place to hide out. Tom's arrival at the airport in New York meant the circus had come to town. As he walked through the arrival doors two television cameras swung his way their bright lights blinding him momentarily. Luckily Kate and Jeremy were there and they hustled him through the protruding microphones and shouted questions, out to a waiting car. Jeremy stopped before entering the car and told the media scrum there would be no comments until after the hearing tomorrow. Kate wasn't happy. It had been like this all week. There were reporters outside her house and outside the office. Even her pleas that he wasn't there and that she had nothing to say fell on deaf ears. "Well you got what you wanted," she said to Tom bitterly. "It wasn't only me," Tom reminded her, "At least we know that it will end tomorrow and Melanie will be getting a lot more than she bargained for." We ran the gauntlet of reporters into Kate's apartment building and didn't bother venturing out again that night. Next morning Kate went to work early and Tom hung around the apartment. The hearing wasn't until two in the afternoon. At one he walked out the front door and found it bereft of reporters. A taxi waited on the curb for him. It dropped Tom a block from the courthouse. Walking up to the courthouse, Tom saw a huddle of reporters pointing their microphones at three figures standing higher on the steps. Melanie stood one step above and behind her two sons. She had a hand on both boys' shoulders as she continued her story of sacrifice and selflessness. "I am only here today to try and get my sons a fair share of their birthright so cruelly taken from them by that man." She pointed across to Tom as he tried to proceed up the stairs to the entrance of the building unnoticed. Melanie's malicious smile mocked him as he fended off reporters shouted questions with a firm. "No comment." Inside he found Kate and Jeremy waiting off to one side. They motioned him to follow them and they went inside on of the courtrooms. Court was in session. The judge, a woman, was giving a lawyer a verbal dressing down for being underprepared. Jeremy ushered them into a row of seats and they sat and waited for their matter to be heard. The courtroom was virtually empty but as the time neared for their hearing it began to fill up. By the time the Judge had put the young lawyer out of his misery and dismissed his appeal there wasn't a spare seat in the room. The clerk of the court waited for the previous combatants to leave before calling for the parties in Cameron vs. Cameron to come forward. Jeremy, Tom, and Kate went to the table as directed by the clerk and sat down, but there was no sign of Melanie. The clerk made another call and the door to the courtroom opened and Melanie made her entrance. Fashionably late, she knew every eye in the room was on her. Once Melanie, her two sons, and two lawyers had taken their seat the judge banged her gavel to silence the murmurs from the spectators. "All right, all right, quiet down." She stared down over her glasses at the few miscreants who were slow to follow her directions. With silence established she consulted her notes then began. "Okay, so we have Mr. Wilson appearing for the plaintiffs, Charles and Edward Cameron?" Melanie's lead lawyer stood up and acknowledged that was correct. "And we have Mr. McDonald appearing for the defendants, Thomas and Kate Cameron." Jeremy joined Mr. Wilson standing and confirmed the judge's statement was correct. "Now, it says here that there has been an attempt at mediation but it wasn't successful?" The judge looked at the lawyers again and they nodded. "Okay then, Mr. Wilson you have five minutes to summarize your reasons for contesting the will." Melanie's lawyer took about three minutes to cover his points, the judge complimented him on his brevity but then he had an unusual request. "Your honor, I beg the court's indulgence and request that my clients mother, Mrs. Cameron, be allowed to make a short statement." The judge rolled her eyes, "Mr. Wilson, I would have thought she would be sick of making statements." A titter of laughter broke out among the audience but they were quickly silenced by another of the judge's withering stares. "Very well Mrs. Cameron, but please follow your lawyer's example and be brief and to the point." Melanie stood and repeated her tale of woe while Tom had to fight hard against his instincts to jump up and yell at her to shut up. Once she had finished the judge, after saying she felt that there was enough evidence to warrant a trial, inquired of Melanie's lawyer how long he thought he would need to present his case. Half a day was deemed sufficient so the judge instructed her clerk to look for an appropriate space in her court diary to accommodate a one day trial. Turning her attention to Jeremy the judge asked if he had any objections to trying to cover the trial in one day. Jeremy stood up slowly and delivered an opening jab. "Your honor, if the court can give us five minutes now then this can be wrapped up today." A general hubbub erupted and the judge again had to bang her gavel to get silence. "I'm sorry Mr. McDonald, I should have asked you before. It's just that up until just today this was a very one sided debate." The judge said, no doubt referring to Melanie's media war. "Go ahead Mr. McDonald, you have your five minutes." "Thank you your honor," Jeremy paused and picked up my three copies of my medical file from the desk in front of him. "I would like to put on the public record Thomas Cameron's medical file from Dr. Nelson who was the urologist he went to see to obtain a vasectomy." Jeremy handed one copy to the plaintiffs and one to the clerk of the court who passed it to the judge. Melanie's lawyer jumped to his feet, "objection your honor! We have not had a chance to test whatever is contained in this file." "Objection is noted and denied Mr. Wilson. You will have plenty of opportunity to rigorously test this before any trial. Go on Mr. McDonald, you have piqued my interest." "Your honor Thomas Cameron didn't ever have a vasectomy, because Dr. Nelson discovered he was already sterile." All hell broke loose. There were gasps from the gallery then reporters scrambled for the doors intent on getting the new twist in the story out first. Charles and Edward had turned towards their mother along with everybody else present, only this time Melanie wasn't welcoming the attention. Mr. Wilson had jumped to his feet again yelling an objection and the judge was banging her gavel trying to quell the din. When order was restored the judge warned that any further outbursts and she would clear the court. Both lawyers were still on their feet and she turned her attention to Mr. Wilson first. "Mr. Wilson, you can sit down. I didn't hear your objection but it can wait. Perhaps you should take the next few minutes to confer with your client's mother." Melanie's lawyer sat down heavily and opened the file Jeremy had given him. "Mr. McDonald, you are full of surprises. I assume you have more to say?" Jeremy nodded, "then go ahead." "Thank you your honor. As I stated before, Dr. Nelson found that my client, Thomas Cameron, was sterile. Further investigation showed that he had been born with two defective vas deferens so his semen had no sperm in it at all." More whispers could be heard in the audience but as the judge picked up the gavel silence descended so Jeremy continued. "Mr. Cameron was obviously shocked and hurt when he received this news and its implication, but rather than bring attention to it he quietly divorced his wife and didn't tell anyone of the reason except for his father. So when Byron Cameron was drafting his will he did so in the knowledge that Charles and Edward were his grandchildren in name only and was quite within his rights to not include them." Talking in the gallery again caused the judge to stop Jeremy and she gave several people their last warnings before she spoke to Jeremy again. "So Mr. McDonald what do you propose I do today." "My clients do not wish to deny anyone who has a rightful claim on their father's estate. So we would ask the court to compel the plaintiffs to give samples for a DNA test to ascertain, if by some miracle, Thomas is their father then they can continue with their suit. If Thomas is shown not to be their father then this matter should be struck out." Jeremy sat back down and Melanie grabbed at her lawyer's sleeve, motioning for him to get up and say something but he simply shrugged his shoulders and stayed where he was. The judge flicked through the medical file then cleared her throat and gave her decision. "Mr. McDonald you make a compelling case. I'm not sure why you didn't make it earlier... perhaps Mr. Cameron is not as noble as you say." She looked at Tom and he stared her down before she turned towards a distraught Melanie. "In this case he certainly has some company. It is the decision of this court that Charles and Edward Cameron have twenty-eight days to submit samples in order for DNA tests to determine if Thomas Cameron is their father. If the results come back affirmative then the court orders that further mediation take place in order that a settlement regarding the estate of Byron Cameron is reached. If the test results are negative then this case is dismissed with costs being awarded against the plaintiff." The judge banged her gavel and the court erupted. Tom stood, hugged his sister, and shook hands with Jeremy. Charles and Edward hightailed it out of the court and Melanie's lawyers were trying to get a weeping Melanie out of her chair so the lawyers for the next case on the list could take their place. As Tom walked past he heard Melanie complaining to her counsel. "... But he was old, he said he'd been fixed... I just wanted a break.." Tom stopped in his tracks as the word's meaning sunk in. He knew who the boy's real father was. "What's that all about?" Kate asked as she moved past me. "I'll tell you outside." When they got to the doors of the courtroom two ushers opened them and it seemed like a thousand flashbulbs went off. Reporters yelled questions but Tom and Kate just kept their heads down and fought their way through the melee. When they got to the steps of the courthouse Tom was worried someone was going to get injured as they tried to descend so he stopped. Holding up his hands he appealed for quiet and when they shut up he told them he would make a statement. "The last three weeks has been very difficult for my family. Having aspects of my private life aired and debated in public has been humiliating for me and the resulting media frenzy has adversely affected all our lives. Today this issue had been put to rest and now I would like to go back to being a private citizen. I am now asking you all to respect my, my family's, and my sister's family's right to privacy and to leave us alone. Thank you." He started to walk down the steps as the reporters continued to hurl questions at him. Tom ignored them until one got under his skin. "Mr. Cameron? Do you intend to counter sue your ex-wife for defamation?" He stopped, swiveled around and the microphones where thrust in his face again. "As I stated earlier this ends here, I take no joy from what has happened today." All right, that was a lie, but Tom thought he sounded sincere. He looked over the huddle of reporters to a lone figure, deserted by her lawyers and sons, trying to scuttle away unseen. Tom didn't have to point as Melanie had done earlier in the afternoon, the reporters followed his gaze and seeing Melanie, scurried over to get her reaction. With the distractions gone he went to the car where Kate and Jeremy were waiting. In the back seat Kate popped a bottle of bubbly but Tom didn't feel like celebrating. He just wanted to get home. It struck him that was the first time he had ever considered Tasmania home, maybe he would become an Aussie one day. Not to the locals of course, to them he would always be a septic. Kate, pulling on his arm, brought him back to the present. "So what was Melanie babbling about as we left." "I think I know who the father of Charles and Edward is. Melanie got her first job in television, doing the weather in a local news bulletin when she was recruited by old man Harlan. He owned and ran that NBC affiliate station. Obviously her big break came with strings attached." "Trevor Harlan?" Kate asked incredulous. "He was ancient, he must have been seventy or more." "I guess that's why she thought she was safe." "But why didn't she have more children?" "Once she got the job at the network she didn't need him anymore." "Maybe she'll sue him for some money." Jeremy added. "Maybe she will have had enough of courts and lawyers. Besides, I really don't care anymore." They dropped Jeremy at his office and went straight to Kate's apartment. A few more wines and an early takeout dinner Kate's husband had bought home and Tom was ready for bed. Before he went to shower Kate flicked on the television and the same current affairs show where Melanie had first started her blitzkrieg was on. It was strange seeing his face and hearing his voice coming from the screen. It showed most of Tom's courthouse statement and then Melanie scurrying away hiding her face. Next a reporter did a piece to camera describing the scene inside the court and to wrap it up there was a comment attributed to an insider at the publishing house selling Melanie's book. Rumor had it they were pulping all the books they had printed and were seeking legal advice on whether they could recoup the large advance they had paid Melanie. Tom went to sleep with a smile on his face. Authors note. I realize some readers will doubt the existence of a Tasmanian Whisky industry. Just for your information a distillery called Sullivan's Cove won the award for the worlds best single malt at the world whiskies awards in London and a double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2014. Just a couple of terms to explain, "sticky beak" is a description of a person who "puts their nose into other people's business." Also at the end of the story the Australian slang "septic" is used. This dates back to the Second World War when American servicemen were stationed in Australia during the Pacific campaign. It owes its genesis to rhyming slang, septic tank- yank, it was also a derogatory term as a septic tank is the composting tank connected to toilets in houses not joined to a sewerage network. So many at the time thought the visitors were full of you know what. Now I guess the next thing to explain is the Australian habit of greeting a friend or colleague with derogatory term, eg "how are you going you old bastard?" To which you might reply "I'm fine you fat prick." Between mates these exchanges are bizarre rituals of affection, hence Tom may well consider being called "a septic" as a friendly gesture. I know that's how I view the anonymous abusive comments, if they didn't like me they wouldn't do it.